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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

On Cloth Diapering

Hubs and I made the decision to cloth diaper before Bean came. My best friend, Jackie, got me on the bandwagon and Melanie helped encourage me. Jackie is CDing her third girl and it's her first time. Melanie is an advocate of all things green, healthy, and non-toxic (which is why she sells Ava Anderson!). I jumped into cloth diapering head first and while I thought it was the best idea since sliced bread, it hasn't come without challenges. And we're only 10.5 weeks in.

There are 8 zillion brands that all fit differently, regardless of same sizing. Some have snaps, some have aplix (like Velcro), there are pockets, all in ones, all in twos, flats/prefolds/covers, fitteds... So much to choose from and some people literally have to try EVERY kind before finding what works best. I did what every cloth diapering expert says not to do. I read up on all the types of diapers before Bean was born and decided I wanted to use pocket diapers. All in ones are the easiest, but they're also the most expensive and apparently take forever to dry. Pockets seemed like the next best option for us, so I bought about 35 of them- some new and some swapped on a Facebook cloth diaper swap page. I learned all about washing them, drying them, and caring for them. And once Bean was here, I was blessed that Jackie let me borrow her newborn stash so I didn't have to purchase two stashes (newborn and one size).

Well, the small fry is out of the newborn sizes and while I can't afford the "in between" sizes like smalls and mediums, I tried to go straight to one size diapers (they have snaps to change the rise to three different sizes). NONE of these suckers fit! The leg holes are all too big, even on the smallest setting. So, trial and error has led me to start using flour sack towels (a glorified kitchen towel, available in Walmart or Target) with covers and I've sold back several of the new condition diapers we used once or not at all. I'm saving up the money I make from the sell-backs to invest in a few different types to try. Hopefully we'll find something because the challenges are discouraging.

And storage... I wish mine could look like this setup I found on Pinterest:

... but it doesn't. Because I haven't found something that works, yet, I have also not found a storage solution that works. As gung-ho as I am about cloth diapering, I want to give up sometimes! Washing and drying them, stuffing pocket diapers, and caring for the diapers as a whole doesn't bother me at all. I just pray that we can find a system that works best for Bean and isn't a total hassle. Husband likes all in ones or pockets that I've already stuffed. He doesn't like snaps, but the aplix versions break Bean's belly out. So, wish us luck on keeping the disposable diapers at bay while we continue this crunchy challenge that I'm standing my ground on!

Who else cloth diapers or plans to do so with their future children? We didn't with Little S, but I really do love it for Bean!

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Hi! I'm Kimberly- a wife, mama of two sweet girls, and a follower of Jesus! I like to spread the love among *all the things* around here, while embracing what life has in store for this 4'11" ball of fire. Stick around and you'll get a little bit of fashion, faith, family, and more!